Machine for crimping polygonal cans



March 30,1926.

J. H. GORDON v MAC HIRE FOR CRIMPING POLYGONAL CANS Filed April 11, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNE March 30 1926.

J. H. GORDON MAbHINE FOR CRIMPING POLYGONAL CANS Filed April 11, 1924 2 sheets-sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

in manipulating the sides or rims of poly Patented Mar. 30, 1926. V

UNITED STATES PATENTAOFFICE."

JAMES H. oonnon, or ravrne'ron, NEW JERSEY;

MACHINE FOR CRIMPING POL'YGONAL CANS.

Application filed April 11, 1924. Serial No. 705,743.

To all whom it may mm.-

Be it known that I, JAMES H. GORDON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Irvington, county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Crimping Polygonal Cans, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved machine for crimping, seaming or applying a tool for any other purpose at the edge of a polygonal can such as a square or oblong can. v

. The present specification, for the purpose of clearness of description, describes a crimping tool and it will be understoodthat this term includes seaming and other forms of tools such as rollers which may be employed onal cans.

v The machine is designed to provide a head mounted in a support and which has a circular motion but which carries a tool or tools that are moved inwardly or outwardly on the rotating head so thatthe tool follows a polygonal path. The invention is compact and requires a relatively small space for its operative parts and is simple so that its continuous successful operation is assured.

The invention is illustrated in theaccompanying'drawings in which Figure 1 is a side view part of the machine being shown in section,this machine showing one type em- .bodying the present invention. Figure 2 is an enlarged section of apart of the head of this machine and Figure 3 is a horizontal section broken away this sectionized portion,

being taken on a plane indicated by line 33 in Figure 2/ Figure 4 is a section of the bottom of the head showing a modification for use with an oblong can this section I being taken on line aa in Figure 6. Figure 5 IS a s1m1lar section taken'on line bb in Figure 6. -Figure 6 is a horizontal section of the head shown in Figures4 and 5. The machine consists of any desired form V of standard 10 and is usually provided with This holding means of the can, of course, can be changed to lit the circumstances and can be altered in its structure so long as it firmly holds the can 12 against turning while suitable tools traverse the outside of it for crimping, seaming and the like. The

head rotates on the support being fastened to the sleeve 2 1"and being rotated by the gear 22 in mesh with the gear 23 which is on the shaft 24 and is drivenfrom the pulley 25 by thegear 26.. I v v I A crimping tool or tools, usually two or four in number, are secured to the head and project below it. In the drawing the tool is illustratedjat 27 and is mounted on a shaft 28 which has the eccentric portion 29 the function of this eccentric arrangement being to provide a setting in of the roller or tool 27 when itris necessary to take up wear. An adjusting sleeve 30 -with the pin 31 is utilized for holding the shaft in its adjusted position.

The tool itself is caused to revolve by reason of the sleeve 32 driven by a ring gear 33 which is in mesh with the. teeth 34 of the gear 35 on the sleeve 36 which is provided with a gear 37- driven from a gear 38 on the shaft 24. The sleeve 32 is also eccentric because it must be slowly turned to bring the v crimping tool 27 closer to the centre'of the can at each revolution so that there is a gradual squeezing of the can'until the required number of revolutions have been completed to finish the operation.

So far as described, the machine is of a type now in existenceand will operate on round cans since the crimping't-ool will be carried around in a circular path slowly getting smaller to a limited extent. The improvement lies in causingthis circular path ofthe head to be so modifiedso far'as the tool is concerned, to cause the tool to,

follow a polygonal path.

The form I illustrate for doing this con sists in mounting the previously described structure in an eccentric 39 which is rotat ed since it is provided with teeth 40 so that it forms-apinion in mesh with the teeth 41 of the gear 42 Jwhichis fastened by a suitable 7 means around the fixed sleeve 17. The result ofthis arrangement is that the head "rotates the pinion 40 in mesh with the gear 41, the parts of course, being properly pro-' portioned, to be extended'or carried usually from the centre of the head at certain points in its rotation the maximum of such out- InFigures it, 5 and 6 I sliowa-"modificaw t'ion' asdesigned to cause the crimping tools to follow around the sides of an oblong can. In the form shown the crimping rollers are four in number and'are mounted similarly to those described hereinabove. They are however, retarded-in the movement of the eccentric 39 and speeded up in the movement of this eccentric according towhethe-r the tool happens to beworking on the short or the long side of thecblong can.

7 The form that I illustrate for carrying out this mechanical movement embraces one gear 45 which is in the shape of a ring and is in mesh with the ear 40 on the roller 27 on the eccentric 39 this "in bein in en-' gagement with the gear 40011 the two rollers illustrated in section on line b-b in Figured The other two rollers are in mesh by their gear pinions40 with the gear 4-6 also in the shape of a ring and resting on the tooth,

ring or gear 45.- The gears and 46 are: supported by a sultable annular plate 47. ,The ring or gear 45 ls'provided with the stud 48 around which the jaw49 ofthe lever 5O fits,-thelever 5O beingpivoted at 51 on the bracket 52 which is in fixed' position and fastened to the foot 53 onthe non-rotating stem 15."

The lever is provided with a roller 54 which fits in the cam slot 55 in the head 20. A similar leverj56 is piv0ted'at57 and has its ja w 58 engage a stud 59 in the up per gear 465 The slot 55 is shaped so that asthe head, which is .provided with this slot is rotated, actuatesthe levers 50 and 55 in proper sequence to cause the crimping} tools 27 .to be moved by their eccentrics in a .more rapid manner when on the short side of the can so that the corner of the can is rounded with the entire crimping .or seaming action since the gear 45 is rapidly and sharply moved in: the reversed direction.

Those tools, however, that are traversing sides.

and a. crimping toolsupportedgfromi t the longerside of the oblong'can'are delayed until they arrive at the corner since the parts are moved by the slot 55' to cause the-gear 45 to moveflwith the head for a short distance so that it moves around atnearly the same speedas the head and then when this acceleration is retarded by the slot the normal operation of .7 the eccentric 39 takes place and the tool is. then moved aroundto crimp the corner of the can. 7

.. In this application it has been necessary to describe a square can and an oblong can so that the operation of the parts will be clearly understood. 3 Thesedesignations; however, have simply been for convenience and it is understood that .so far as this specification and the claimsare concerned,"

polygonal defines any can other-than 'cylindrical since many shapes of cans are now" made and by oblong is also: included oval cans or anyother can that has irregular It will be evident that the details of this construction can be changed without departing from the scope of tl'ieinvention. Iclaim: 1. A machine for crimping the edges of cans of polygonal shape comprising acan'" holder, a support, a rotatable heazd in the" support, an eccentric in the head, a pinion on the eccentric, a gear fixed against rotai tion. and with which thepinion 'is'infmeilii' eccentric so that when thez'hea'drotat'es, l ecrimping tool followsa polygonal pathf- 3 2. A machine for crimping polygonal cans ranged on the support, a crimping tool,- lan eccentric on the head, a pinion on theec'c'entric and'a gear withwhich the pinion is'inf mesh whereby when the head is rotated the eccentric is actuated to project and then retreat the crimping tool at intervalsso-that, it follows a polygonal path.

comprising a support, headrotatably ar A machine for crimping polygonal cans p v comprising a support, a head rotatably arranged on the support, a crimping tool, anf

eccentric on the head, a pinion on the eelcentric, a gear on the support and in mesh with the pinion, and means'torswinging the gear at intervals so that the tool is caused tofollow an oblong path.

In testimony that I claim, the foregoing, I have hereto set my hand, this 26th day of March, 1924. 7 V

mains eonnon 

